Justice for Yezidi / Yazidi Survivors of Genocide

JULY 2021 NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

The activities of the Free Yezidi Foundation over the last month can be found below.

In addition, we encourage you to join us on 2-3 August for a series of virtual panels to commemorate the Yezidi Genocide. The panels will review justice and accountability, youth, genocide recognition, gender and women's rights, security challenges, and a number of other pressing matters for our community as we mark this solemn day. Click for the full panel descriptions and list of speakers.

Thank you for standing with us.

REGISTER
 
In case you missed it, FYF's seven-year Yezidi Genocide commemoration statement can be found by clicking here. The statement focuses on the following six themes:

- Bring Back Our Women and Girls!
- Just Implementation of the Sinjar Agreement
- Equal Opportunity for Yezidis
- The Yezidi Survivors' Law
- Better Conditions for IDPs
- Justice & AccountabilityThank you, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community.CONTRIBUTE

Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director
Free Yezidi Foundation

Dear friends,

We hope this email finds you well. This past month was full of both highs and lows, from inspiring graduations to devastating losses in Sharya IDP camp. Despite the challenges this month brought, we were nonetheless proud to see our community step up to support the Yezidi people in a meaningful way.

Early this month, a horrific fire ripped through Sharya IDP camp in northern Iraq, destroying hundreds of tents and the belongings of more than 1000 individuals. FYF raised over $18,000 to provide cash-based relief to affected families, helping them to rebuild. Tragedies such as this one underscore the ongoing issue of sub-par camp housing and the lack of reliable emergency services like fire and rescue. 

This month saw the graduation of our first cohort of bakery trainees from FYF's newest enterprise, the Sugar is Sweet Bakery in Khanke! This groundbreaking livelihoods project will train more than 100 Yezidi women each year in basic baking techniques, business skills, and business mathematics. We are so proud of our first group of graduates, a number of whom will be selected for upcoming employment opportunities in the bakery. We invite you to visit the bakery and training center, taste our sweet treats, and follow along on Instagram @sugarissweetbakery.

June was also a busy month for other engagements. On the 15th, FYF provided testimony and submitted evidence to the Belgian Parliament during their Yezidi genocide deliberations. In addition to providing a strong voice for humanitarian assistance and genocide recognition, Pari also highlighted the need to prosecute ISIS members for specific genocide-related crimes:

"If prosecutors only legally demonstrate Da'esh members as participating in terror, then I fear we have missed the fundamental purpose of justice for mass atrocity crimes. I therefore call upon all those with prosecuting authority, beginning in Belgium, to carefully examine the evidence and the crimes of Da'esh members."

FYF's Pari Ibrahim testifies virtually at the Belgium Parliament, June 2021

In the field, FYF hosted a week of consultations for Yezidi survivors to meet UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials for discussions around concerns and ideas about the recently passed Yezidi Survivors' Law. FYF's Waheeda Omer, pictured, led the effort from the FYF side. 

FYF clinical psychologist Yesim Arikut-Treece also led a discussion on her application of Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy in the field for female genocide survivors at the EMDR Virtual2021 conference. From international advocacy and knowledge sharing to local engagement in civic processes, it was a challenging and rewarding month for FYF.Thank you, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community.CONTRIBUTE

Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director
Free Yezidi Foundation

MAY 2021 NEWSLETTER

Dear friends,

We hope this email finds you happy, healthy, and safe as we transition from spring into summer. This past month was full of important events that we are eager to share with you. UNITAD made an official determination of what we already know: that the extensively documented ISIS crimes committed against the Yezidi people constituted genocide. This represents a step forward in international recognition of the Yezidi Genocide and prospects for justice. FYF celebrates this step, while cautioning that such determinations must be met with concrete action in the pursuit of justice for ISIS crimes.

In the beginning of May, Free Yezidi Crafts & Enterprise, the artisan branch of the recently opened FYF Enterprise and Training Center, participated in a U.S. Consulate bazaar in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Our intricate handwoven carpets, rugs, and crocheted pieces were an instant hit - selling more than 27 items in the span of a few hours! The event generated a buzz about our quality Yezidi-made handicrafts, which you can peruse here. Orders can be placed via email to info@freeyezidi.org or through direct message on our Instagram page linked above.On May 12th, the Free Yezidi Foundation provided testimony to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom hearing about genocide determination. In the statement, FYF's Pari Ibrahim emphasized the Yezidi community's solidarity with the Rohingya and Uyghur people and the importance of timely genocide recognition for survivor communities. Further, she cautioned that the Yezidi community's 74th genocide should be viewed as ongoing - highlighting the fact that nearly 3,000 abducted Yezidis remain unaccounted for and the effects of the genocide still impact daily life.The following week, FYF co-hosted an event with the Wilson Center's Middle East Program to discuss geopolitical challenges faced by Yezidis in both Iraq and Syria. The panel discussion addressed ongoing needs in the Yezidi community - from mental health and psychosocial support to security and infrastructure - but also highlighted the threats faced by Yezidis and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and northern Syria. Scholars, including Amy Austin Holmes of the Wilson Center and Nadine Maenza of USCIRF in particular, emphasized the destabilizing role that Turkish airstrikes and Turkish-backed militias have played across the region in recent years. A video recording of the stimulating conversation can be found here.We hope you will find these events, conversations, and incredible handicrafts worthwhile and of interest. Thank you, as always, for your steadfast support of the Yezidi community.CONTRIBUTE

Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Founder and Executive Director

Dear friends,

We write to you today with heavy hearts. On Friday, a large fire broke out in Sharya IDP Camp in northern Iraq, one of 15 camps housing over 16,000 displaced Yezidis who escaped the 2014 genocide. In total, 370 tents were burned. 184 families, comprised of 994 individuals living in those tents, lost all of their properties and belongings. These families are currently without shelter, food, and other basic necessities.

Sharya Camp, Iraq, June 2021

We are humbly asking you to join our campaign to raise funds to support these families and to help us address this emergency situation. We are joined in this campaign by a group of Yezidi NGOs and activists working together to collectively fundraise for the families. All funds raised will be pooled and divided equally among the 184 families, with a steering committee overseeing the distribution of funds. Whether you can donate $5 or $500, every donation counts. Will you join us?

Photo Credit: Washington Post, Ismael Adnan/Picture-Alliance/DPA/AP

Donate here on GlobalGiving.

Events like these show us that Yezidis are unfortunately still experiencing the impact of the 2014 genocide. Thank you for your support and solidarity with the Yezidi community.Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Founder and Executive Director

HAPPY YEZIDI NEW YEAR!

Dear friends,

Each year, Çarsema Serê Salê - or the Yezidi New Year - brings the promise of rebirth, hope, and life to the Yezidi people.

On the heels of such a trying year, we are particularly grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the joy that the Yezidi New Year represents with you. While our celebrations may be smaller and more socially distant than in years past, we welcome Çarsema Serê Salê and the opportunity to begin anew that it represents.

Sincerely,

Pari Ibrahim
Executive Director